Half-Souled
by plexkittyfangirl
Summary: Sukina is a half-witch, daughter of Stein and Medusa, but has managed to keep it hidden. One day she can't control it and murders someone, thrusting her life into panic and jolts of insanity. Ghost is her weapon partner, daughter of Soul and Maka, and is struggling to face the question thrown at her everyday: Will she actually be able to forgive Sukina for what she' s done?
1. A Young Weapon is Born

Soul twiddled his thumbs as sweat poured down his forehead, anxious and scared. Maka's grunts and screams could be heard from in the hallway, and it chilled him every time one reached his ears. There was another one.

 _Surely giving birth can't take this long?_ he thought. _I hope Maka's okay._

He sighed; Spirit's pacing caught his eyes. Spirit walked back and forth for what seemed like forever, wincing slightly every time he heard Maka. Both he and Soul had tried to get into the room, but Stein had said to stay out. He knew it would be better that way.

Suddenly Maka's screams grew louder, her father and her husband rushed over to the doors and pounded on them with their fists.

"STEIN IF YOU'RE HURTING MY DAUGHTER I WILL SLICE YOU INTO SO MANY PIECES YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STITCH YOURSELF TOGETHER AGAIN!" Spirit yelled, and continued to pound on the door.

"SAME GOES HERE!" Soul shouted. "THAT'S MY WIFE, SHE BETTER BE OK!"

Suddenly the screaming stopped. Dead silence lay thick over the hallway. Spirit couldn't take it anymore; he thrust out his leg and busted down the door. He and soul quickly ran into the room through the self-made entrance.

"Maka! Maka are you-" Soul and Spirit were cut off in unison as their eyes gazed upon Maka, a small bundle cradled in her arms. Stein stood to the left, hands in his pockets.

"Come and meet your new member of the family, boys," he said, calm and cool as usual.

They walked over to the bed where Maka lay, and almost broke into tears of joy. Soul wiped them away, but Spirit knelt and cried, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M A GRANDFATHER!" Stein rolled his eyes.

"He's beautiful, Maka," Soul said, caressing the cheek of the infant.

"She, Soul. It's a she," Maka corrected softly.

"She's beautiful. What are we gonna name her?" Soul asked quietly, Spirit happily crying and rolling on the floor in the background.

"Ghost. Let's name her Ghost."

"Ghost. Yeah. It has a nice ring to it."

Soul and Maka hugged the child, and Stein smiled. "If that's all, I'm going to go home." He walked out and down the hallway, opening and closing the big doors behind him. He walked over to his motorcycle, patterned with stitches like almost everything he owned, started it up, and drove off back to his house.

Once he reached it, Stein hopped off of his bike and put it into the garage, pulling the door down as he left. He walked up the familiar pathway and opened the door. "I'm home!" he called out. Almost as soon as it rang out, a little dark blonde-haired girl, about three, came running to the front door from the living room. She cantered up and hugged Stein.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, Sukina. What've you been doing this whole time?"

"Mommy was reading me a story!"

Moments after the remark, a woman walked out of the living room and down the hallway to her husband; Medusa. She came up and kissed Stein firmly on the lips, withdrawing back after to look at his face.

"Missed you all day, anything happen?" she said sweetly, obviously deprived of the coldness and cruelty she once possessed, now a loving wife and mother.

"Maka had her baby," Stein replied. "A girl. Soul and Spirit were thrilled."

"I bet," Medusa commented. "I would ask you to tell them congrats, but our history isn't exactly that clean. It's better off if we don't pass on that message."

"Yeah. Hard to believe it's only been three years since this little one was born," he said, and picked up the toddler. She giggled with delight as he rested her on his shoulder.

"Time's flown by, hasn't it, Stein?"

"It has, Medusa. Indeed it has." Sukina's stomach grumbled, and Medusa chuckled slightly.

"I think we should get some dinner, someone's obviously hungry!" Medusa said. She kissed Stein on the cheek and walked into the kitchen. He set Sukina down and watched her scamper off to the kitchen to "help" her mother.


	2. A Gift from Dad

Ghost rocked her feet back and forth from her seat on the couch, anxious for her dad to return. She checked the clock. 12:30. Where was Soul? He said he was bringing home a 'surprise'. Now five, she had no idea what it could be. Candy? Chocolate? Something better? She couldn't wait.

Suddenly Ghost heard the rumble of a motorcycle and peeked outside through the window. There he was, her father carrying a closed bag in his hand. She squealed with delight and raced over to the door. He opened it and knelt down, so Ghost could hug him.

"Hey Ghosty!" He said, setting down the bag and hugging her.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. "What's in the bag? What is it? What is it, Daddy!"

"It's a surprise, Ghosty. You have to close your eyes."

"Awwwww! Okay, fine," she complied. Then she closed her eyes like she was told. Soul grabbed the bag and open ended it slightly, pulling out a light-beige colored beanie. On the top it had a small blue patch, embroidered with 'Ghost'. He placed it on her head, and as soon as she felt it her eyes shot open. Her hands reached up to her head and grabbed the beanie so she could look at it.

"A beanie!" she squealed with delight. "Thank you, Daddy, I love it!" Maka walked into the room and smiled at her daughter and her husband. Ghost put the beanie back on and hugged Soul. Then he stood up and took off his own headband. He slowly peeled off a circular sticker; it was yellow, had a red mouth with sharp teeth on it, and had three letters on it, spelling the word "E-A-T".

"Now Ghost," he started. "This sticker has been through a lot, and I want to give it to you, for when you join the academy and get a partner of your own. It helps add to your coolness. Not that you don't have a ton of it, being MY daughter," he remarked with pride. Soul placed the sticker on her beanie and secured it, making sure it stuck. She smiled and ran back to her room, almost bouncing with joy.

"You want her to be just like you, don't you Soul?" Maka retorted with a slight chuckle.

"Yep," he said. Maka rolled her eyes and sighed.

* * *

Maka rubbed Ghost's small shoulders as she drifted off to sleep for her afternoon nap. She was cute, so peaceful as she breathed rhythmically, probably dreaming. A quiet knock sounded at the door, it opened, revealing Soul. He motioned for Maka to come into the hallway. She kissed Ghost on the cheek and walked out. Maka closed the door behind her and looked at her husband.

"What is it, Soul?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Kid- I mean, Death needs us. A certain witch's soul protect has gone off. Medusa."

"Medusa?!" she exclaimed in a loud whisper.

"Yeah," Soul replied with resent. "We have our chance to get her. Death wants us to take it. It's been years since we've last battled. We're a lot stronger, I'm a Death Scythe now for crying out loud. We can do this." Maka nodded. She looked back at Ghost's door.

 _She'll be okay_ , Maka thought. _No need to worry._

She glanced at Soul, and understood he felt the same. They headed down the hallway and out to the garage. Soul pulled out his motorcycle and they drove to where Medusa had been spotted.


	3. Stitched Into Fate

Stein drove home from work on his motorcycle. He didn't say a word, or smile at all. The only thought that ran through his mind was the one he hated most, and he couldn't confide to anyone about it. No one except Sukina. But was she even ready for it? How could she, she was only eight! She'd have to be ready for it. There was no other choice.

 _My wife is dead_ , Stein thought. _Medusa is dead, she was killed by Maka and Soul. I can't reveal anything to the academy, they'd become suspicious. But I have to tell Sukina. I have to protect her...from herself._

A memory flashed in his mind: it was four years ago, when Sukina was only five. She had fallen asleep in her bedroom, and he and Medusa sat together on the couch, holding each other.

"She'll be developing her powers in a few years, Stein. It's hard to believe she's growing up so fast," Medusa remarked. She sighed.

"Powers? Medusa, what do you mean?" Stein's expression showed a mix of curiosity, confusion, and a tiny hint of fear.

"Well she's half-witch, so she may or may not get powers. But if she does, we have to be ready. I'll handle that, mainly, but you need to know too. You're her father, after all. I don't think she'll have an animal-based set of magic, but I don't know what she could have besides that, either. If she can learn to control it, whatever magic she gets, she'll be okay in this crazy world."

 _I hope so,_ Stein thought. _It wasn't enough to keep you safe, Medusa. If only..._

He pulled up to the house and opened up the garage. He wheeled the bike inside and looked around for a tarp. Stein saw one, a plain gray to match an un-stitched section of the wall. Pulling the tarp over the bike, tying it and setting against the wall, he took a deep breath and walked out of the garage, saying goodbye to the bike in his mind. He couldn't even think of ever wanting to see the bike again.

That was what I rode on when I took Medusa to the moonlit park that night... the night I proposed to her.

Stein closed the door and shed a tear, wiping it away with his hands as soon as he noticed. He had to be strong. Life had to continue. He walked up the pathway and opened the door. Stein closed it behind him and set his lab coat on the rack near the door; it had been one of Medusa's touches as soon as she had moved in. He trudged down the hallway, the dread of what he was about to reveal to Sukina weighing on his shoulders. It felt as if the sky was pressing down on him, gravity pulling him to the floor.

He knocked on his daughter's bedroom door. Sukina pulled it open and hugged her father. He held her close and ran his fingers through her hair. She pulled back after the embrace and looked into her father's eyes. Sukina saw his expression and her smile disappeared.

"Dad?" she asked. "What's wrong? Where's Mom? It's been a while since she left," Sukina remarked. She paused. "Dad?" Concern showed in her eyes as she knit her brow in confusion, with a speck of fear. She waited for his answer.

Stein took a deep breath. As he walked forward into Sukina's room and sat on the edge of her bed, his heart was about to be torn with what he had to reveal. "Your mother is dead, Sukina."

Sukina didn't want to believe what her father just said. But how? Why? Why would she be dead? She can't be! Her expression shifted from being joyful to see her father to utter pain and sorrow and fear. She sat down on the bed, ready to cry, her eyes almost brimming with tears. Finally they let go. Salty drops of water came flowing down Sukina's cheeks, and her hands went up to cover her eyes and as she sobbed into her palms. Stein hugged his daughter tightly and held her close, his only family now. After about ten minutes the tears finally slowed. They still came; just not as fast.

"How could she be dead, dad?" Sukina asked, her voice choked from all the sobbing.

"Well, Sukina, there's something else I have to tell you as well. And it's why your mother is no longer with us. You know how there's humans, there's the kishin egg souls, the corrupted ones, and then there's witches?" Sukina nodded and wiped away some more tears from her moist cheeks.

"Your mother was one of those witches. One of the most powerful there was. She used to do terrible things, but when we were together she gave it up; she changed; she became a good person. Sadly, not everyone realized that. Today when she was running errands, her Soul Protect came off. It's a spell the witches used to hide their witch soul and masquerade as a human.

"Unfortunately, your mother didn't have the cleanest history with the academy. They detected her soul and sent a Death Scythe weapon pair after her. She didn't survive," Stein finished with dread.

"Mom...mom was a witch? Sukina stuttered.

"Yes," Stein answered. "Which means you're half-witch yourself. Medusa told me what to do, thankfully, but it's going to be hard on you. You'll have to stay inside the house until you turn 15. Your mother said that if you had powers, they'd show by then. If none show, everything becomes normal again. If they do- well, we'll decide that if it happens," he finished. Sukina's heart sank at the thought of her future now.

"I'm sorry, Sukina, I really am," Stein said. He hugged his eight-year-old daughter and continued, "But it's our best option for your safety. I don't want anything to happen to you." He hugged her tighter and held her close, like she would drift away if he let go. She returned the embrace, and they sat there; father and daughter, hanging on to each other.


	4. A Burnt Pencil

After that night, nothing was the same for Sukina. A week after the talk with her father she locked her doors and only came out at meals, if at all. Something had stirred inside her. One night, while Stein was asleep, she snuck into his lab and stole surgical equipment. Scalpels, gauze, string, scissors, syringes, one or two of each. Sukina became a bit too inquisitive. She had to find out about the other side; even if it meant destroying herself, just like her father did.

* * *

Five years. Five years of quarantine. Something that's not exactly good for a 13-year-old.

Sukina tightened and snipped of the remaining string. The last test had gone well. She decided it would be the final one. Sukina twisted her neck bolt until it clicked. She wiped the last bit of blood off of her hands and got up from her desk. _I should go check the data_ , she thought. _It's time to see if the conclusion proves the hypothesis._

Sukina quickly ran her fingers across the stitches on her cheek, hand, arm, wrist, and quickly the one at her collarbone. She sighed. She knew she would never be the same again, not after what she'd done to herself. Sukina knew it had to have been for the best, in more ways than one.

Before the stitches, if someone looked at Sukina you could tell Medusa was her mother; with dirty blond hair, not to mention Sukina's tangerine eyes; shades away from the eerie yellow of Medusa's. But now, if someone saw her, all they would be able to focus on would be the stitches and the neck bolt; now Sukina's predominant features.

Sukina grabbed the papers off her desk and sat back down on the edge of her bed to examine them. "Conclusion reached...hypothesis proven," she muttered with distaste. "UGH!" She jumped up and threw the papers in the air, enraged. "Hypothesis proven: there is absolutely nothing! NOTHING! No matter what I do, my studies and experiments show NOTHING! AGH!" She sat down and made odd motions with her hands, hoping it would help with the frustration.

She sat up and took off the lab coat her mother had made her when she was little; back when she and her father did little experiments together. She had been so full of curiosity, such innocent curiosity... but it was gone now.

Sukina folded it up and placed it next to her. She got up and started picking up the papers she had thrown. But as soon as she had them all in her arms, one slipped out and started to float down to the floor. Soon two more followed. And as Sukina reached out with her right hand and started to grab for them, a small, electric jolt of black lightning shot out from her fingertips. It sliced through the air in the room and hit a pencil on Sukina's desk, staining the area of the writing utensil that had been hit charcoal black. She hopped back in surprise and covered her hand, dropping the papers and backing up to the edge of her bed, scooting all the way down to the end against the wall, where her pillow was.

Her eyes widened as she looked from her partially covered hand to the pencil on her desk and back again. "What the hell?" she muttered, a queer look forming on her face. She was so entranced by what her hand had done that she wasn't paying attention to its appearance. It was slowly fading now, but the skin on her fingertips had turned an eerie jet-black. The peculiar shade dispersed, and she didn't notice. "Did I just do that?" Sukina slowly inched herself over to the desk. She touched the pencil with the fingers on her left hand and pulled back immediately. "Ahh!" she exclaimed, glad her father was at the academy teaching and not at home. It stung her fingers to touch the pencil.

Suddenly a hypothesis formed in Sukina's mind, as well as a small experiment to test it. She walked back to the desk and let her right hand, the one that had shot the magic, slowly move towards the pencil. She touched it; it felt fine. Her fingers closed around it, and she brought it up to her face so she could examine it closer. Her mind whirred with the new discovery. A smile crept its way onto her lips; Sukina considered the other possibilities of what she could do. She wasn't allowed outside, she hadn't been since her mother died, but she had to go and explore and discover what other powers flowed through her.

 _But Dad won't let me go outside until I turn 15, in two more years!_ Sukina thought with regret. _And if I tell him I have these powers, he'll NEVER let me out of here... I'll just keep it a secret! I'll learn to control it in private. I have two years, might as well do something with the time_ , she concluded silently.

And Sukina did just that. She got pretty good, the two years whizzed by with all the training and practice she did. There were a few more burnt pencils, some scorched papers, and singed pieces of gauze, but Sukina could finally control her powers. A day before her 15th birthday the list totaled up to: the black lightning (strange, especially since she had a pair of earrings that resembled white lighting bolts) and changing her hair color from her natural dirty blond color to black and anywhere in between (turning her hair partially black; giving it a dyed look). Sukina felt accomplished at what little she had discovered, but knew she'd have to continue to keep it hidden from everyone, including her father.


	5. Ghost's First Day

Ghost walked out from her room, ready for breakfast. She stretched out her arms and yawned, moving her beanie. She adjusted it back as she walked into the kitchen, where Maka was making waffles. She sat down at the table and smiled as her mother set down a plate of chocolate-chip waffles, her favorite thing for breakfast. Soul sat across from her at the table, reading the newspaper.

Ghost grabbed the syrup and filled up all of the little spaces in the morning confection and began eating. When she finished, she put her plate up and walked over to the door. Her mother and father stood beside her, wishing her good luck on her first day at school.

"Good Luck, Ghosty. Of course, you won't need it, who wouldn't want a weapon partner as cool as you?" Soul commented.

"Thanks, dad..."

"Honey, you know what he means," Maka remarked. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and brought her in for a hug.

"Thanks, mom." Ghost hugged her mother in return, then hugged her father. She waved goodbye and walked out the door. Ghost stood at the foot of the steps to the Death Weapon Meister Academy, looking up at the spikes and skulls embedded in its walls. She saw a tiny dot moving on the central spike, but dismissed it. It was probably a bird of something. She ran up the steps, excitement flowing through her veins and showing in her eyes. As she reached the top, she looked around at the few students gathered outside. Suddenly a shout rang out from above Ghost's head.

"YAHOO! BEHOLD THE AWESOMENESS OF ME, TOKU! I'LL BE A BIGGER STAR THAN ANY OF YOU, ANYONE EVER! EVEN MY DAD, BLACK*STAR! YAHOO-!"

The shout was cut off as a creaking sound split the air, and Ghost looked up. She jumped out of the way as one of the spikes's tips came crashing down, along with a dark blue, spiky-haired boy about her age.

"Aah!" she yelped. The boy stood up and kicked aside the small stone spike, not at all dazed. Another boy came over to him, and gave him a fist bump.

"Toku! That was awesome!" he said.

"I know!" Toku answered with a childish smirk. "Hope your dad doesn't mind, Junior."

"Oh, he will," Junior replied. He laughed. Ghost cocked her head and looked at him. "Oh, hey! Are you new?" Ghost nodded. "Well, nice to meet you. I'm Death the Kid Jr. What's your name?"

"I'm Ghost," she started. "Ghost Evans. Nice to meet you and your... friend?"

"Yeah. This is Toku. Ghost, Toku. Toku, Ghost," Junior finished.

"Hi, Toku."

"YAHOO! Hi, Ghost!" Toku exclaimed.

"So do you guys wanna go inside? It's almost time for class to start, and you need to get your tag, Ghost," Junior stated. They began walking. The group entered through the doors and strolled down the academy's main hallway. "By the way, what are you: Meister or Weapon?" Junior inquired.

"I'm a weapon," Ghost replied.

"Well, what a coincidence. I happen to be a Meister, one without a weapon," Junior said. He winked at Ghost, who blushed slightly. She didn't know why. The trio walked into class Crescent Moon.

* * *

Ghost sat on the steps outside, smiling. She had enjoyed her first day at the DWMA. She was almost sad it had to end. She sighed and stood up, ready to go home. Ghost looked down at her official tag. It read "Weapon". She started to walk down the steps.

"Ghost!" a shout called from behind her. Ghost turned around and saw Death the Kid Jr. running over to her. She stopped and waited for him. He waited for a moment to catch his breath. When he finally did, he stood up straight. His headphones were off to the left as usual, the sinking sun reflecting off of the white skulls painted on them. His black hair, with seven, small, white shinigami stripes, moved slightly in the breeze. He cleared his throat.

"Ghost," he started. "I know this is gonna sound weird, but when I saw you today, and we hung out and stuff, this weird blue flash crossed my eyes. And I think I know what it's trying to tell me... Ghost, will you be my weapon partner?"

Ghost couldn't speak. She didn't think she would get a partner this fast. But she could kind of feel it too, what Junior had described.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"What?" Junior said. "Didn't catch it."

"Yes, I'll be your weapon partner," Ghost stated proudly.

"Awesome!" Junior declared. He held out his hand for a fist bump, and was about to put it down until Ghost obliged him.

"See you tomorrow, then!" she shouted as she walked down the steps. "Bye!"

"Bye, Ghost!"

* * *

Ghost ran home as quick as she was able to. She couldn't wait to tell her mom and dad she had gotten a partner, and a reaper at that! She skipped up the steps and thrust open the door.

"You look happy," Maka acknowledged with a giggle.

"What's got you so pumped up, Ghosty?" Soul inquired.

"I got my partner today!" she exclaimed, unable to hold it any longer.

"Who is it, Ghost?" Maka asked.

"Death the Kid Junior, he's Lord Death's son! Can you believe it?" Ghost declared. Soul's eyes widened. He had a nosebleed and fainted in his chair, falling onto the floor. Maka just looked surprised. She put down the basket of laundry she was holding and walked over to Soul with a thick hardcover book.

"Well, I'm gonna chill in my room until dinner...bye!" Ghost quickly ran down to her room and flopped onto her bed, happy as a puppy.


End file.
